1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to subscription-based reception of information over a computer network. More specifically, the present invention relates to the ‘podcasting’ of media.
2. Description of the Related Art
Podcasting involves syndicated distribution of multimedia content files over a network, typically the Internet. Podcasts may be played back on mobile devices or personal computers. Ordinarily, these content files contain audio or video but may also contain images, text, or other file types such as Portable Document Format (PDF).
Syndicated distribution of content is a format used to associate computer readable files that are available for delivery over a network. The syndication format is also used to provide users with information concerning the subject matter or content of files available for download. Based upon information provided through syndicated distribution, a user may decide to subscribe to delivery of one or more files. Syndication format-aware computer programs can, as a result of the subscription, automatically determine what files need to be downloaded to a subscribing user and then automatically download such files as they become available.
A feed is an association amongst files specified in accordance with a syndication format. A feed is generally used to associate files according to criteria specified by a publisher of the content. Files associated with a feed, for example, may represent episodes of a program in a manner similar to episodes of a television or radio program (i.e., episodic media).
A feed may include a list of Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) by which episodes of a show may be accessed over the Internet. A content provider may post a feed on a web server. This location (i.e., the web server) may be referred to as the feed Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) or feed URL. A feed is ordinarily updated each time a new episodic media (e.g., a new episode or media file) is published and made available. Alternatively, a feed may be associated with files based upon more arbitrary criteria such as files corresponding to the favorite songs of a particular blogger.
The Real Simple Syndication (RSS) and Atom formats are two examples of popular feed formats. The RSS format is an example of a simple Extensible Markup Language (XML) based format that allows users to subscribe to content available for download from network sites such as websites on the Internet. An RSS feed includes an association of files using the RSS format. An Atom feed, in turn, operates in a fashion similar to that of the RSS format and includes an association of files using the Atom format.
A computer program known as an aggregator, which may sometimes be referred to as a ‘podcatcher’ or podcast receiver, is used to subscribe to and manage subscriptions to feeds. Upon execution of the aggregator program, application, or module by a processor at a computing device, the aggregator monitors a set of feeds for a user. The aggregator downloads file updates (e.g., new episodes) at a specified interval, for example, every two hours to the extent file updates are available. A downloaded file, such as an episode of a television show, can then be played, replayed, and/or archived.
RSS, as noted above, is an example of an XML-based feed format that allows users to subscribe to content provided by their favorite websites. Using RSS, a webmaster can host content in a standard file format such as mp4 or mp3. The content can then be consumed and organized through RSS-aware software such as the aforementioned aggregator application.
In accordance with the RSS 2.0 standard, the web address of a file such as a media file may be contained in an enclosure tag of an item in an XML file. In a similar regard, two constituent elements of a typical RSS feed are the channel element and the item element. Both the channel element and the item element may include a variety of sub-elements; the item element is, in many instances, a sub-element of the channel element. A channel may contain any number of items. An item may be complete in and of itself as inclusion of elements in an item are optional. The following list exemplifies some RSS channel elements with a brief description and example of each element.
ElementDescriptionExampleTitleThe title of theExcellent New Songitem.LinkThe URL of thehttp://publication.com/item.2006/10/18EAF.htmlDescriptionBrief descriptionThe Excellent New Song wasof the itemreleased to critical acclaim.EnclosureDescription of anHas three required attributes. urlobject attached toindicating where the enclosure isthe item.located, length indicating size inbytes, and type indicates file type is,e.g. standard MIME type. <enclosureurl=“http://www.videoname.com/mp4s/firstsong.mp4” length =“13217840” type = “video/mpeg” I>GuidGlobally unique<guid>http://arbitraiy.server.com/identifier, a stringweblogItem5050</guid>that uniquelyidentifies the item.When present, anaggregator maychoose to use thisstring to determineif an item is new.SourceRSS channel where<sourcethe item cameurl=“http://www.musicreview.org/from. (The purposelinks2.xml”>moviereview'sof this element is tolocation </source>propagate creditfor links)DestPointer to location<dest url=http://of analytics engine.www.myanalytics.com/ma.js </dest>(the purpose of thiselement is toenable publishersto track actualusage of theirdownloadablemedia)
Podcasting provides a superior paradigm for delivery of information over computer networks. As podcasting has become an increasingly established format for the delivery of audio and video content over the Internet, podcasting has likewise created the need for new mechanisms that operate to the mutual benefit of content owners and consumers. An example of such a need and one that remains unmet by the current state of the art is media metric discovery and reporting.
When a video is played online using a web browser, media usage is measured on the connected web server and within the browser embedded media player. In one example involving the Flash media player, Javascript code embedded within the web page is typically in communication with an online analytics engine such as Google Analytics.
Podcast media, however, is typically downloaded for time-shifted playback and off-line consumption. In these instances, a podcast video might be played using a standalone media player such as iTunes®, which does not typically support the embedding of Javascript along with the media. iTunes®, too, does not allow for playback measurements to be connected to an online analytics engine.
The growing popularity of podcasting has created a need to make downloaded media consumption more easily measurable for content owners and to create a corresponding set of consumer features around seamless sharing and discovery of podcasts.